Divorce and post divorce adjustment remain a central concern in understanding the mental health of families and individual family members. Sociological research on these processes has been severely limited by the reliance of past researchers on census-type data. By studying the participants' view of these processes, the proposed research will provide a unique and necessary addition to the limited knowledge in this critical area. In addition, by examining the legal process of divorce it will provide important data on the effects of alternative legal frameworks (no fault and fault divorce) on past divorce adjustments. The proposed research has the following obectives: 1. To provide a current and comprehensive analysis of divorce and the post-divorce adjustment process. 2. To add a new dimension to our understanding of divorce by focusing on the interaction between legal institutions and the family. This research will provide: a) knowledge of how the legal system shapes family processes by translating the real life problems of the family into legally structured alternatives, and b) an evaluation of the effect of alternative legal frameworks on the family by comparing the effcts of old and new California Family (and divorce) Law. Research methods include: a) a random sample of cases from court dockets in 1968, 1972, and 1974 (to examine the impact of the new Family Law Act on final decrees); b) interviews with a sample of expert matrimonial lawyers and judges; c) interviews with divorced men and women (panel sample); d) interviews with a sample of lawyers and judges in conjunction with the panel. The 1970 legal experiment in family law in California provides a unique laboratory in which to study the impact of liberal legislation on the family, on family dissolution, and on the after-divorce adjustment process.